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Childbirth

Share experiences and get support around labour, birth and recovery.

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Original poster

Amazing epidural birth on OBEM has seriously tempted me...

64 replies

ahhhhhpushit · 08/03/2012 11:49

With DS I had no pain relief, 9lb back-to-back brow presentation baby, loooooong pushing stage (hours) and borderline 3rd degree tear.

I did ok.

BUT oh my goodness last night's OBEM had an epi birth that was amazing!! She pushed totally fine (not being able to push is the thing that puts me off) and was singing as she did it!!!!!

So I'm sitting here thinking to myself why oh why would I put myself through all that pain again? Come to think of it why did I put myself through all that pain in the first place??!!!

Anyone have an epidural and not end up with forceps??? Everyone I bloody know who had a epi ended up with forceps or c-section. It really scares me...

OP posts:

fuckityfuckfuckfuck · 08/03/2012 11:52

I have to say, that girl had a very fortunate time of it. BUT and this is from my experience of having had a back to back baby and an epidural, being on your back is the worst thing you can do. My first back to back baby didn't turn during birth and was a nightmare to push out. Is the baby you're carrying now also back to back? My second was and was a breeze in comparison as I stood up throughout. Now on my third back to back baby and you couldn't pay me to lie down tbh.

shagmundfreud · 08/03/2012 11:53

Less likely to have instrumental with an epidural second time around.

Have one if you want it!

abrakebabra · 08/03/2012 11:54

I had an epidural and forceps and I would still go for an epidural over natural birth.

tabulahrasa · 08/03/2012 11:55

I had two epudurals and no forceps.

With DS I had to be told when to push as I'd had to have a top up and it was a bit too effective, but pushed fine...I did find it a bit amusing though, the having to be told and was told to stop giggling as it was pushing the head down between contractions

with DD I could feel more though (not pain, but I knew when I was having a contraction) but, the contractions pushed her out before I actually tried to push

Flisspaps · 08/03/2012 11:56

I had an epidural first time and there is no way on God's earth that I would consider having one again.

Anchorwoman · 08/03/2012 11:56

I had a spinal block and was still able to push. I didnt feel any urge to or any contractions but mw could see on the monitor when I was contracting so she could tell me when to. No reason you couldn't push with an epi. I did have forceps though in the end as turned out ds was stuck good and proper.

Original poster

ahhhhhpushit · 08/03/2012 11:56

That is good to know shagmund. Very good to know actually.

fuckity - only 12 weeks with this one so don't know yet!!! Last bugger turned over in the last few days!!! I actually felt him go! And where there had been a nice long back bone was some feet and elbows!!!!!!!

OP posts:

MaybeItsBecause · 08/03/2012 11:57

My best friend has had three epidural births, no problems pushing, no forceps or ventouse, no tearing. She is the only person I know who has had such a straightforward experience, though!

Original poster

ahhhhhpushit · 08/03/2012 11:57

Why not fliss ????

OP posts:

xshevix · 08/03/2012 12:00

I had one and no forceps. I could still feel the urge to push which was helpful id have one again if i ever had another baby (doubtful) i only pushed for 23mins and had a second degree tear. I think the fact that i had it at 8-9cms helped.

LilyBolero · 08/03/2012 12:00

DS1 I had an epidural, was v calm, no instruments, he did get into a bit of distress because he wasn't happy about me being on back, he was OP presentation too, and 9lb12.

My other 3 were 10lb+ (dc4 was 10lb12), all born at home, one kneeling against bed, one standing, one lying on side and then in mcroberts due to shoulder dystocia.

They (apart from ds3 when he stuck) were easier, in terms of pushing, but much more brutal also, in terms of it being painful and less controlled.

zzzzz · 08/03/2012 12:01

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

winnybella · 08/03/2012 12:02

I had two lovely births with epidural. No problems with pushing at all, I could feel the contractions. I wonder whether the problem is that doctors are inept at administering it, because if given in proper doses-i.e. not overdosing and cutting it off or down before pushing stage it shouldn't make women unable to push.

I loved it and will definitely have one if I'll have another DC. I had the experience of labouring, first at home, waiting til the contractions got to 3-4 minutes apart, then in hospital where they got progressively worse and harder to bear...I see no point whatsoever to decline an effective pain relief

shagmundfreud · 08/03/2012 12:02

All that said, I had one with my first and said 'never again'. And didn't.

Because I like the happy hormones that you get afterwards as a reward for suffering hideous pain.

And I POWERFULLY dislike being catheterised and having wires coming off me.

cryhavoc · 08/03/2012 12:03

I had an epidural with DD and no forceps. Went for the epidural after I was induced and spent 8 hours having hideous contractions only to find I was 3cm dilated.

I could feel contractions, was able to push her out in 20 mins, and got up for a shower after about half an hour.

I feel really positive about her birth, but accept that my experience is just that - one experience.

winnybella · 08/03/2012 12:03

Oh, and DD was 4.35 kg so rather large.

Flisspaps · 08/03/2012 12:04

Because for me, the chance of getting on that cascade of intervention a second time is too great (even if it's less likely to happen with DC2 than DC1)

I had no urge to push, not even the sensation without the pain, and ended up with forceps and episiotomy which extended into a 3a tear. DD was in a slightly odd position, and from what I've read the epidural may have contributed to that problem as the uterine muscles don't always work as efficiently at turning the baby into the right position if one is sited.

The pain relief was bliss, don't get me wrong, but for me it wasn't worth it.

shagmundfreud · 08/03/2012 12:05

"I am a huge fan of epidurals and think the seconds/minute/hours after birth are far more important to me than the birth itself"

Which is EXACTLY why I didn't want an epidural after the first time.

You really do feel different after a non-epidural birth because you have physiologically normal levels of mothering hormone swilling around in your blood stream.

Highlander01 · 08/03/2012 12:08

I had an epidural and needed no intervention to push DC out. To be fair, it was a huge relief to have the pain taken away, but I had a 3rd degree tear which was horrible afterwards. I kind of feel if I hadn't had the epidural I might not have torn so badly, because I wasn't that aware of how strong my pushes were. My MW was also a bit rubbish and just told me to push like mad, rather than guiding DC out gently at the end.

I still had the feeling of a "dull" contraction, which was good because I didn't just have to rely on MW telling me when to push and I was mobile enough to change positions and hold myself up on my knees whilst leaning over the top of the bed to give birth.

On the flip side, I was told if I hadn't had an epidural I would have been advised to have one afterwards in order to be stitched up..... Which would have been rotten to get all that way without one!

zzzzz · 08/03/2012 12:31

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

ReallyTired · 08/03/2012 13:03

I had an epidural with ds and I was able to push out. I think a lot depends on the type of epidural. I had a mobile epidural which was brilliant. I was able to give birth on all fours.

I experienced similar levels of europhia and attachment after the birth of both my children. With dd I had no pain relief other than tens. I think this stuff about women who have epidurals have emotional attachment problems is a load of guff.

I took longer to recover with my first birth (epidural) than the second birth. However there are so many factors its hard to know if the epidural affects recovery after the birth.

Joygirl78 · 08/03/2012 13:26

I had an Epi with first following failure to progress. As waters had gone they used induction drip. They wore it off for second stage. Had epic 2 hour plus pushing session - but was active (mostly upright draped over back of bed which was raised). No intervention, and a few tiny internal stages. I would not have coped without the epidural, and it didn't lead to cascade of intervention. If i have extremely slow dilation again this time I will choose the same. Not willing to have induction drug without an Epi, and I can't imagine how tired I would have been otherwise. If I hadn't had an Epi I think they would have had to pull baby out, or take me for csection, so the Epi saved me fom that

Joygirl78 · 08/03/2012 13:26

Stages - or stitches rather....

bagelmonkey · 08/03/2012 13:30

You can still end up needing forceps without an epidural. I'd rather have an epidural if I was going to need forceps again.

shagmundfreud · 08/03/2012 13:56

If you had normal levels of oxytocin in your body you wouldn't need syntocinon to boost your contractions, as you pretty much always do with an epidural.

Endorphin levels and oxytocin levels are higher after a non-epidural birth. Partly because so many epidural births involve episiotomies, which impacts on the last minute surge of oxytocin caused by the stretching of the vagina as the baby crowns.

"I think this stuff about women who have epidurals have emotional attachment problems is a load of guff."

What 'stuff' are you thinking of? I don't think anyone's suggested that women who have epidurals have 'emotional attachment problems'.

That's not to say that an invasive medical treatments which have an effect on the normal hormonal physiology of labour DOESN'T impact in subtle ways on the experience of early postnatal life. Only there's been very little research which looks specifically at interaction between mothers and babies following epidura,l and most studies into epidural use women who've had opioids as the control group, which to my mind isn't a good thing.

This is quite an interesting article here

Her point about the link between epidurals and fetal distress is interesting, because it reflects the findings of a recent Cochrane review into epidurals. This found that although the overall c-s rate wasn't higher with epidurals, the proportion of emergency c/s done for reasons of fetal distress was.

Anyway - it makes me sigh a bit that people get so cross at the suggestion that epidurals might impact on mother and baby interaction. I don't see why it's such a problem to raise this question. I've had an epidural - I don't remember experiencing the same levels of utter bliss and euphoria as with my non-epidural births and it definitely was a different experience. Doesn't mean I didn't love dd as much as my two ds's, or that I didn't bond with her. I did! Bonding is a very powerful and complex thing. But I don't see why it's so outrageous to suggest that something which has a profound impact on the hormonal physiology of birth and the immediate postnatal period might have some effect on the experience of meeting your baby for the first time - which we all know IS influenced by the shedloads of hormones you produce in labour and birth.

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